1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gravity flow fountain and, more particularly to a method of, and apparatus for, supplying water to a gravity flow fountain.
2. Description of Related Art
Gravity flow fountains of various designs and configurations can generate a display comprising a cascade of water droplets. These water droplets, when grouped together and properly synchronized, assume or compose various shapes, images, and/or messages.
In general, gravity flow fountains capable of generating these displays arc known in the art. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,471 to Ruthenberg discloses an apparatus for providing a waterfall or fountain capable of making displays formed from water droplets. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,423 to Jacobsen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,822 to Simmons, and U.S. Pat. No. RE35,866 to Simmons teach methods of producing fountain images and displays using nozzles or timely released, gravity-affected droplets. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,737,860 to Whigham discloses a method and apparatus employing gravity to display a message.
To ensure that the displays are properly produced, a consistent and reliable supply of water must be provided to one or more water reservoirs within the fountain. Failure to properly replenish water expelled from these reservoirs can result in displays being malformed. Thus, the aesthetic qualities and advertising capabilities of the fountain can be compromised. As displays produced by the fountain increase in complexity, the adequate and timely supply of water becomes more critical to preserve and maintain a cohesive and coordinated water droplet display.
One method of providing water to a reservoir within a fountain includes oversupplying each of the reservoirs with water. By providing a continual overabundance of water, the reservoirs can remain filled. However, this approach dramatically increases the cost of operating the fountain. For example, large and expensive equipment (e.g., pumps, fill valves, etc.) must be purchased and serviced, a large volume of water must be accessed or transported with the fountain, and a burdensome amount of energy is required to operate the fountain.
In addition to adding undesirable expense, the oversupplying method fails to recognize or appreciate sudden or unpredictable needs for an increased, or decreased, amount of water at one reservoir relative to another reservoir. Consequently, water supply systems that rely on the oversupply method cannot disproportionately divert water to individual reservoirs in the fountain as water is inconsistently expelled by the reservoirs. For example, depending on the display being generated, each reservoir can have its own unique, time-based demand for re-supply of water as the fountain operates.
In short, conventional gravity flow fountains are ill-equipped to provide a varying, yet efficient and timely, supply of water to each individual reservoir as fluid is non-constantly expelled from different reservoirs during fountain operation. Thus, a method and apparatus capable of anticipating or predicting water supply needs, and fulfilling those needs, would be highly desirable.
In one aspect, the invention provides a method of supplying fluid to a gravity flow fountain on an anticipated basis. The method comprises providing an apparatus having a manifold, a fluid fill valve, and a programmable logic device. The manifold includes a reservoir capable of receiving and expelling the fluid, the fluid fill valve is associated with the manifold and capable of providing the reservoir with the fluid, and the programmable logic device is associated with the fluid fill valve.
A display to be generated by the gravity flow fountain is selected and, based on the selected display, a desired fluid level for the reservoir is anticipated. The anticipated desired fluid level is then programmed programmable logic device and the fountain operated. As the fountain is operated, the fluid is expelled from the reservoir to generate the selected display. Therefore, the fluid fill valve is actuated, based on the anticipated desired fluid level programmed into the programmable logic device, to maintain the anticipated desired fluid level within the reservoir. Thus, the fluid is supplied to the fountain on the xe2x80x9canticipatedxe2x80x9d basis.
The apparatus can further comprise a valve assembly within the manifold. The valve assembly is capable of regulating the fluid expelled by the reservoir. Further, the valve assembly can comprise a pintle that permits formation of the selected display or a solenoid capable of being selectively energized by a transistor driver associated with the programmable logic device.
In another embodiment, the invention discloses a method of supplying a fluid to a gravity flow fountain on a historical basis. The method comprises providing an apparatus having a manifold, a fluid fill valve, and a programmable logic device.
The manifold includes a reservoir, a valve assembly, and a sensor. The reservoir is capable of receiving the fluid. The valve assembly has a selectively actuatable solenoid that permits the valve assembly to expel the fluid from the reservoir when the solenoid is actuated. The sensor is capable of sensing historical data within the manifold.
The fluid fill valve is associated with the manifold and is capable of providing the reservoir with the fluid. The programmable logic device includes a memory and is associated with the solenoid, the sensor, and the fluid fill valve.
A display to be generated by the fountain is selected, the fountain is operated thereby selectively actuating the solenoid and permitting the valve assembly to expel the fluid from the reservoir, and the selected display is generated. The historical data within the manifold is sensed with the sensor as the fountain operates and stored in the memory. Thereafter, the operation of the fountain is terminated. Then, based on the historical data stored in the memory, a desired fluid level for the reservoir is determined and programmed into the programmable logic device.
Operation of the fountain is resumed, thereby selectively actuating the solenoid and permitting the valve assembly to expel the fluid from the reservoir, and the selected display is once again generated. Therefore, the fluid fill valve is actuated, based on the desired fluid level programmed into the programmable logic device, to maintain the desired fluid level within the reservoir as the fountain is operated. Thus, the fluid is supplied to the fountain on a xe2x80x9chistoricalxe2x80x9d basis.
The historical data can include a solenoid firing sequence within the manifold or fluid depth, height, weight, or rate of the fluid received within the reservoir.
In a further embodiment, the invention discloses a method of supplying a fluid to a gravity flow fountain on a real time basis. The method comprises providing an apparatus including a manifold, a fill valve, and a programmable logic device.
The manifold has a reservoir, a valve assembly, and a sensor. The reservoir is capable of receiving the fluid. The valve assembly contains a selectively actuatable solenoid that permits the valve assembly to expel the fluid from the reservoir when the solenoid is actuated. The sensor is capable of sensing data within the manifold.
The fluid fill valve is associated with the manifold and is capable of providing the reservoir with the fluid. The programmable logic device has a memory and is associated with the solenoid, the sensor, and the fluid fill valve.
A desired fluid level to be maintained within the reservoir in the manifold is determined and programmed into the memory of the programmable logic device. Thereafter, the fountain is operated and the data within the manifold is sensed with the sensor. Using the programmable logic device, the sensed data is compared with the desired fluid level data that is stored in the memory. Based on the comparison of the sensed data and the desired fluid level, the fluid fill valve is actuated to maintain the desired fluid level within the reservoir as the fountain is operated. Thus, the fluid is supplied to the fountain on a xe2x80x9creal timexe2x80x9d basis.
The sensed data can be stored in the memory and a transistor driver that is instructed by the programmable logic device can perform the actuating. The fluid can be water or a mixture of water and an additive. Additives can be used to control a property of the mixture such as odor, color, viscosity, purity, appearance, temperature, freezing point, flavor, and reflectivity.
The programmable logic device can be associated with another programmable logic device, a network server, a hub, a network, and the Internet. The manifold can contain a seal having seal apertures therein while the valve assembly can include pintles. The pintles can alternatively rest within the seal apertures to prohibit expulsion of the fluid or can disengage from the seal apertures to permit expulsion of the fluid. A bottom of the manifold can contain bottom apertures having nozzles therein. The nozzles are capable of directing the fluid expelled from the reservoir. The bottom apertures can contain a salient disposed therein to prohibit pintles from further receipt into the bottom apertures at an equal depth.
In another aspect, the invention discloses a system for maintaining a desired fluid level in a gravity flow fountain. The system comprises a plurality of manifolds, sensors, fluid fill valves, a base, a pump, and a plurality of programmable logic devices.
The manifolds can include a reservoir for receiving and expelling a fluid. Sensors can be associated with each of the manifolds and each sensor is capable of collecting data within at least one of the manifolds. Fluid fill valves can be associated with each of the manifolds and each of the fluid fill valve is capable of selectively supplying the fluid to at least one of the reservoirs within the manifolds.
The base for receives the fluid expelled by the reservoirs. The pump is associated with the base and the fluid fill valve such that the pump is capable of receiving water from the base and providing water to the fill valve. Each of the programmable logic devices is associated with at least one of the manifolds, at least one of the sensors, and at least one of the fluid fill valves.
When the fountain is operated, the sensors sense the data as the fluid is expelled by the reservoirs, the sensed data is compared with the desired fluid levels by the programmable logic device, and the fluid fill valves are selectively actuated by the programmable logic device to increase or decrease the fluid received by the reservoirs. As such, the desired fluid levels in the reservoirs of the fountain are maintained.
The system can include a hub, a network server, and a network in association with the plurality of programmable logic devices. The system can also contain a manifold support apparatus that elevates the manifolds vertically above the base. The system is capable of compensating for valve assembly malfunctions, pump inefficiencies, and leaks in fountain components. To reduce noise generated by a valve assembly in the manifold, the valve assembly can include a dampening plate.
Various other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will be made apparent from the following detailed description and the drawings.